NAACP Legal Defense Fund’s Ryan Haygood appeared on the Rachel Maddow Show to discuss the important effort by the Department of Justice to have Texas submit all proposed voting changes for review before they can take effect. Attorney General Holder’s announcement sends an important message in the wake of the recent Supreme Court decision that took the country’s most effective tool against voter suppression out of commission.

Within hours of the ruling, Texas announced plans to implement a restrictive Photo ID law and a redistricting plan, which two federal courts found would harm minority voters. LDF’s legal team represented black students in Texas whose student IDs would not be accepted under the Texas Photo ID plan, while a concealed gun license would be accepted.

Haygood also emphasized that Congress must step in and amend the Voting Rights Act to protect the rights of millions of people of color.